1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injection stretch blow molding apparatus and method, and particularly to an injection stretch blow molding apparatus and method provided with a transfer station which transfers preforms from an injection molding station to a blow molding station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An injection stretch blow molding apparatus and method has previously been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-132517 by the applicant of the present invention.
The above invention has an injection molding station in which a preform is injection-molded, a blow molding station in which the preform is stretch blow molded, and a transfer station which transfers preforms from an injection molding station to the blow molding station.
In the injection molding station, a plurality of preforms are injection-molded simultaneously, each preform is cooled by an injection molding core mold, and after the preform has cooled to a temperature at which removal is possible, the preform is removed from the injection core mold by a removal section.
In the transfer station, the plurality of simultaneously injection-molded preforms are, either in a single operation or divided into a plurality of operations, delivered to a blow molding station. In detail, there is provided a receiving mechanism which receives a plurality of simultaneously molded preforms, and an inverting and delivering mechanism which, either in a single operation or divided into a plurality of operations, inverts the preforms received by the receiving mechanism from the upright state and delivers them to the blow molding station.
In the blow molding station, preforms received from the transfer station are carried by a carrying member which is circulatingly carried. The preforms are carried into a blow molding section in batches numbering fewer than the number of preforms molded simultaneously through a heating section and a standby section, then are blow-molded.
With this system, preforms are molded with a reduced injection molding cycle time while maintaining an adequate cooling time. Moreover, the operating efficiency of the blow cavity mold can be increased.
The present invention is a further development of this injection stretch blow molding apparatus and method.